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The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezers in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The freezers were hidden behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, informed police last week that there had been an incident—but disputed intentional killing.

Addressing reporters recently, a official for the legal authorities stated the pair were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

The names of those concerned have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in accordance with local legislation.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities said the woman's colleague claimed at the time she had gone on an long journey with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

However when officers examined the victim's residence, her smartphone was found.

Someone also claimed hearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and screams of "mother" on the day the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

A wider criminal probe was started, with investigators uncovering multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—among them a notice of quitting to her company and communications to the male associate.

Officials said a four-figure sum was also sent to the man.

A senior police official told reporters on recently that a rented space had been leased before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been placed there.

The brothers removed the appliance from the unit on the very day the woman and her child went missing, she stated. And a week later, they purchased a second unit.

Officials say they think this indicates the demise were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the remains," she stated.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—noted the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the remains were carefully placed and were not found during a previous house search.

Although the men were arrested in June, it was not until 12 November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to storing the victims. He disputes any murderous intent, authorities said.

At the same time, his younger brother admitted to a cover-up but rejected knowledge of a murder.

The two suspects are currently in detention before court proceedings in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and exposes a brutal scheme".

"Females of all ages are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they went on to say.

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."